Ala Igbo is Bleeding Decries Human Rights Lawyer, as He Reflects Over Kidnap of Okwulorah 'Okoh'
By Chukwudi Ebele
Human Rights Lawyer and Social Critic Sir Ifeanyichukwu Ejiofor Esq has warned Ndigbo To stop killing themselves for whatever reason saying that Igbos were not known as witch hunters but for their industry, hardwork and for being their brothers keeper.
In his article titled "ALA IGBO IS BLEEDING, AND ITS WOUNDS ARE LARGELY SELF-INFLICTED - “KIDNAP OF OKWULUORA IN FOCUS” Ejiofor narrated the ordeal that befell Emmanuel Onyeka Okoh in the hands of kidnappers alleging that the aggression was not likely to be from non Igbos but people who knew him well.
"Some moments jolt the conscience of a people, moments that refuse to be ignored, moments that force a nation to look itself in the mirror.
"One such moment is the chilling ordeal of Okwuluora, the respected social critic and voice of conscience, who was recently abducted in Umuaka, Orlu Local Government Area of Imo State.
"But this was no random abduction. It was a symbolic tragedy, a revealing crack in the very soul of Ala Igbo.
"Okwuluora was not taken by strangers. He was not a victim of foreign invaders. He was kidnapped, blindfolded, tortured, and nearly executed by his own people; men who spoke his language, knew his background, and shared his roots.
"And perhaps the most horrifying part? His captivity occurred only a few meters away from a military and police checkpoint.
"How did we get here?
How did a land once famed for its unity, industry, and resilience descend to this level of internal rot, where fear now reigns and terror is homemade?
"We have spent too many years blaming external aggressors and distant enemies. But today, the most urgent enemy resides among us, and sometimes, within us.
"Okwuluora’s near-death experience confirms what many have quietly suspected:
That a faction of our own kith and kin have turned Ala Igbo into a hunting ground, desecrating its sacred spaces and sacrificing our communal peace on the altar of greed, anarchy, and lawlessness.
"Today, entire communities in Imo State live under siege.
Markets are silenced.
Traditional rulers are driven underground.
Young men, once the pride of their clans, now morph into nightmarish militias.
And all this unfolds under the passive gaze, or perhaps complicit nod, of those sworn to uphold security and order.
"Make no mistake: Imo State is bleeding. Ala Igbo is bleeding.
And the wounds are no longer from external blows.
They are self-inflicted, cut deep by betrayal, silence, fear, and complicity.
"But this is not the first time our land has groaned under the weight of anguish.
"In the wake of the 1966 pogroms, Ndigbo fled the North in droves, carrying nothing but their dignity and the bones of their dead.
They came home, and from the ashes, birthed Biafra: a defiant declaration of self-worth.
Though crushed by war, the Igbo spirit endured. We rebuilt. We thrived.
"But now, what war failed to destroy, internal decay threatens to finish.
"So we must ask:
Where is that same spirit of unity and defiance?
What happened to the moral spine that refused to bow in the face of injustice?
How did we go from guardians of our homeland to architects of its ruin?
"Okwuluora’s story is not isolated. It is a warning, a prophecy in real time.
"If we do not confront this rot from within…
If we do not rise to cleanse our land…
Then our silence shall one day be judged as betrayal.
"This is a call, not to bitterness, not to blame, but to awakening.
To truth.
To courage.
To self-redemption.
"Let this Friday serve as a sacred pause in our weekly race; a moment to reflect, to repent, and to resolve.
"For indeed, Ala Igbo is bleeding.
But where there is life, there is hope.
And where there is unity, there is healing.
"As we step into this new month of August, may the God of our ancestors arise for Ala Igbo.
"May He restore peace in our land.
May every agent of bloodshed and destruction be exposed, uprooted, and judged.
May our land, once soaked in the tears of the innocent, become again a fountain of prosperity, dignity, and unity.
"May the coming days be filled with divine preservation, clarity of purpose, and the courage to speak truth, even when it is costly, Amen," Ejiofor prayed.
